One Of Those Nights
by LittlJade
Summary: Everyone expected Rachel Berry to achieve big things but what if she never, what if her life wasn't anything like she wanted. She has kept her life secret for years but now the secrets about to come out.
1. One Of Those Nights

It was that time again; the same time she always wished her life was different. She was in her dressing room getting ready for the show, the whole room was buzzing because of the loud music. It was a full house tonight as usual. Friday always brought in the bigger crowds with it being the start of the weekend. She faintly heard a bang on the door which was the signal; she was on stage in 10. With a sigh she raised her head and looked in the full length mirror and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. This was her life now and it had been for the past three years but it still didn't make it any easier.

Everyone had always expected her to excel in life from the minute they met her and she couldn't blame them she used to talk a good talk. Out of everyone in her high school she was the one that was going places but ever since that day she was the one that got left behind. No one knew this though, that was her main goal to make sure that anyone who had ever known her had no idea.

She was almost ready she just had a few essential things to do before she went on stage, essential things that got her through this night after night. The vodka didn't burn anymore she could drink it straight without a single flinch. The two glasses on her table were empty within seconds as she downed them. She looked at the final item that makes her night go easy, the white powder was cut up perfectly just waiting for her. One sniff and she would no longer feel the shame and heartache she was accustomed too. She took the rolled up note, sniffed, tilted her head back and smiled, this is her, and this is her life now. Rachel Berry has become a star but not like everyone expected, she was a star, the star of a strip show.

"Everyone welcome to the stage Star"

The coke had kicked in immediately and that's what she loved and hated about it. She loved how it helped her to get through the night and she even loved the feeling however she hated that this is what she had become. The lights were blinding and that's what she liked she didn't want to be seeing the sleazy faces of the customers. Her body took over automatically swaying to the music, she closed her eyes and just let her body take over. Her set normally lasted between 20-30 minutes depending on how good her buzz was. She could hear her final song playing and smiled knowing she would be finished this part of her night. The crowd applauded her and were very generous with the dollar bills with a final wave she exited the stage.

"Star, wait up" a voice called.

She turned round with her best fake smile; he was the boss after all.

"I need you to go back out there in 30 minutes, forget about your privates the new girl hasn't turned in again" Jeff her boss was a middle aged man that ran this classy establishment. He scouted Rachel out when she came here one night asking to bartend.

She knew she couldn't refuse; after all she would make a lot more than her privates. She nodded and made her way back to her dressing room to prepare for round 2. She never got nervous anymore the drugs helped with that but tonight she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach. The same feeling she used to get when something big was going to happen.

"Thank you" she heard as she shut her door and made her way to the couch, opening the vodka and wishing the next few hours away.

Three girls entered the club laughing and swaying already clear they were intoxicated. The VIP booth was booked for them as they were celebrating a birthday. The booth was equipped with more alcohol which made the girls scream with excitement and sit down.

"Its my birthday, bitches" a Latina shouted.

"To Santana, the biggest perv around" one of the blondes toasted.

"That may be true Q but don't pretend you're not going to enjoy this as much as me" Santana retaliated with a wink.

Quinn blushed and just shrugged while clinking her shot glass with the girls and downing it in one. The three girls had been best friends ever since they could remember, finishing high school together and even moving to the same city attending colleges that were near each other. It was Santana's birthday and they had all come home to celebrate it with her family. This was a girl's night and Santana wanted to do something she would enjoy, alcohol and half naked woman dancing around for her pleasure.

"I hope the next acts hot" the other blonde Brittany stated.

Santana hit her arm playfully and scowled at her, they had been together now for three years but she still got jealous even though she knew Brittany would never cheat on her. Brittany leaned forward placing a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips causing the scowl to disappear. Quinn watched her friends lovingly and smiled at how far they had come. They had gone through the journey together just like they always did, they were the unholy trinity.

"So Q you feeling this place yet?" Santana questioned.

"Well I don't know if it's the alcohol but I'm excited to see what's next "

"Oh come on don't act as if you don't like the ladies"

"Yeah Q, we definitely know you like them" Brittany laughed.

Everyone was surprised with Quinn's journey as well as her two best friends. In high school she was very uptight and reserved in certain ways but finally when she graduated her became the person she wanted to be. She had a great job and most importantly her two best friends to help her through everything.

Meanwhile Rachel was sitting in her dressing room applying the finishing touches to her make-up and wardrobe change. She changed into a black bra which sparkles every time the spotlight hits it, her pants matched and she had stilettos on to finish of the full outfit. The bang on the door came for the second time that night and she repeated everything she did an hour ago. Vodka, coke, smile and make some money.

The feeling hadn't left Rachel ever since she finished her first act and she had no idea why but she didn't like it at all. She let her feet lead her all the way to back stage, she made one stop to the DJ before she went on.

"Hey Star, what we going for this time?" he asked

"The usual, hot mess" Rachel smiled sadly.

The DJ was called Reed and he was the only real friend Rachel had in her life, they had met round about a year ago when Jeff hired Reed to be the main DJ. He was the same age as Rachel and had moved here to look after his Grandma who was sick. They both hit it off straight away as they had a lot of things in common. He was the only one who really knew Rachel's story and the only one who supported her through her shifts each night.

"Go smash it" Reed said with an encouraging smile.

The stage was blacked out so Rachel could sneak on ready for her entrance; the spotlight was lined up so as soon as the music started it would be on her. She took a deep breath and gave her signal to say she was ready.

Quinn, Santana and Brittany were in their booth right at the end of the stage. They were chatting away and enjoying each other's company when the room went silent and then music started playing immediately. They couldn't see much of the dancers face as the lights were too bright but they could see her body perfectly.

"Wow" all three of them said in unison.

"Now this is what I'm talking about" Santana said.

Rachel was used to the feeling off all eyes being on her but this time felt different. She felt like eye were boring into her body all the way into her soul. She knew that there was a birthday in the club as she could see the bright balloons floating above the booth. She sauntered her way forward making sure she still gave each side of the stage attention. She made her way to the end of the stage and dropped down reaching for the stash of vodka. This was her thing for birthdays; she would pour the vodka down her chest and let the birthday boy or girl lick it off if they were feeling brave enough.

Rachel could make out that there were three girls and that's when the feeling in her stomach deepened. She lifted the vodka and poured it down her body walking straight towards the table and stiffened as she recognised the three girls in front of her. She was always professional though and put on her game face and turned away to carry on the rest of her performance.

Rachel ran off stage to her dressing room ignoring anyone who was trying to talk to her. She slammed the door and couldn't stop the tears from falling this time; someone had seen her, someone from her old life. The door slowly opened and Reed entered giving her a questioning look and she just broke down even more.

"I know them girls" she sobbed.

"Its ok, its all going to be ok" Reed said while encircling his arms around her, comforting her the best he could.

On the other side of the club three girls were sat frozen, shocked at what they had just seen. They were admiring the dancer and talking amongst themselves until she got closer and that's when they saw her face.

"Was that?" Santana asked

"Yeah" Quinn replied.


	2. Bounce

Quinn, Santana and Brittany were sitting looking at each other with shocked faces; they couldn't believe what they had just seen. They were all pretty drunk but not drunk enough to not recognise Rachel when she had been half naked in front of them. They had not seen Rachel since they all graduated high school together three years ago and they all thought she was going places, not like this.

"Am I the only one confused again?" Brittany asked

"No Britt, not this time" Quinn replied

"I can't believe it" Santana said

"It makes sense though, none of the glee kids has heard from Rachel since graduation and this is why" Quinn states

The three girls shook their heads slowly and drank another one of their shots. They had only been there an hour and already their night had been turned upside down, this is definitely not what they were expecting.

"Do you think we should go say hi?"

"I don't know if she would want that B" Santana said

"Why? We were all friends when we graduated" Brittany said.

"Obviously a lot has changed since then"

Quinn just sat there silently drinking her drink trying to process the thought that Rachel was a stripper, she was the one who thought Rachel would definitely make it big. She might not have showed it in high school but she classed Rachel as a good friend by the end of senior year.

"You alright?" Santana asked while nudging her side

"Yeah just a little shocked obviously"

"I saw you checking her out" Santana smirked

"And I saw you doing the same" Quinn hit back

"She did look super hot" Brittany shrugged.

Meanwhile Rachel had finally calmed down after sobbing into her friends shoulder for the last ten minutes, she knew it was a mixture of shock and the alcohol and drugs still in her system. She moved from her spot on the floor to the couch and poured herself another drink. She had learned to handle her drink over the years and with the shock to the system she had completely sobered up. Reed approached her silently and poured himself a drink, sitting there waiting for her to talk just like he knew she would.

"I don't know what to do" Rachel whispered

"Well you have two choices in this situation. You can either go out there or have a lovely little catch up or you can run away"

"Run away and let them tell everyone I used to know about me"

"Well then, choice has been made. Just explain everything Rach I'm sure they will understand"

"You don't get it Reed, these girls were the most popular girls in high school and they used to bully me so bad. It took until senior year until we were actually mature enough to become friends"

"You just said it though; you become friends so they will understand. It's not as if you chose to do this it was the only way for you to keep living"

There was a knock at the door interrupting the pair from there chat. Jeff walked in with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry to ask this again Star but we need you back out there, I will pay you double plus bonuses as you're practically saving my ass. No rush take your time before you go on" with that he left.

"Well this is going to be fucking great" Rachel said

"Hey, why don't you show them what you can do. Yeah you might be a stripper but you're the best one I know and I'm not just saying that. Show them even though you didn't get where you wanted to be you are still the best"

Rachel looked at her friend and just leaned into him showing her appreciation for all his help. She went to the wardrobe and did yet another outfit change, she best get a good pay check at the end of the week for this. She still didn't feel confident about going on stage again especially knowing that three former friends were sitting out there. She had managed to keep this a secret for so long she never thought she would get found out.

"I'm going to play your special playlist; it brings out all your good moves. They will be drooling" Reed laughed

"I think they might have a heart attack, you should have seen what I wore back in high school"

"Yeah well you look amazing now so work it girl"

"I know you don't agree Reed but I need to do this" Rachel said while pointing to the white powder on the table.

"I think I might let the usual speech slide just this once"

The three former cheerleaders had processed what had happened earlier and had finally started to enjoy themselves again. The manager had walked over in the interval and gave them another bottle of shots to share, courtesy of one of the staff. Little did they know that it was actually from Rachel, she might as well give Santana a birthday gift.

"Ladies and Gentleman please welcome to the stage the talented and amazing Star"

The three girls quickly spat their drinks out and laughed at the name, how did they not realise sooner that this was Rachel with a stage name like that.

Reed stuck to his word and started playing the special playlist which made him excited just thinking about the moves that Rachel would be doing. Not in that perverted way as Rachel was his best friend, he was excited to see what the outcome would be.

Rachel stepped on to stage in next to nothing just the way the punters liked it. This set felt different because she could feel three eyes watching her every move. It made her nervous she hadn't felt like this in a long time and if she was honest it made her feel alive. She worked the right side of the stage earning wolf whistles from the men. She went to the opposite side and got the same reaction. By the time she reached the front of the stage she didn't care who was sitting in front of her; she was letting her body do its own thing.

She wasn't the best at pole dancing but she had learned a few moves from classes she had taken. It was time for her to show them what she has become just like Reed had said. She climbed her way to the top of the pole and wrapped her legs round it and fell backwards, once she was still she looked at her three former friends and gave them a wink. She noticed three things; Brittany was smiling so big it was nearly contagious. Santana was smirking at her and even gave her a wink back and the last was Quinn. Rachel still thought Quinn was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, she hadn't changed a lot since she last saw her. Quinn wasn't looking at her she was purposely avoiding eye contact but Rachel noticed the red blush that was covering her cheeks. Rachel smirked and tried to ignore the feeling she got in the pit of her stomach.

Rachel was finally finished her shift for the night and she was so happy to be off the next couple of days. Tonight had taken it out of her she felt as if she had done a full weeks' worth instead of just one night. She was met with the familiar sight of Reed waiting for her outside her dressing room.

"I suppose I should introduce you"

"I was hoping you would say that, they are hot"

"Behave you" she laughed giving his arm a punch

"Beside Brittany and Santana are very much together so no chance there and Quinn is" Rachel didn't finish her sentence she just stood there for a couple of minutes deep in thought. It took Reed snapping her back to reality by giving a light push to her shoulder.

"Quinn is what?" He asked.

"She's just Quinn"

"Well let's go meet them then"

The three girls didn't see Rachel and her friend approaching them as they were too deep in conversation to notice anything that was happening around them. They stopped mid conversation when they noticed someone at the end of their table.

"Happy Birthday Santana" Rachel smiled while handing over another bottle of alcohol

"Well this is a surprise Berry but thanks" Santana smiled.

"It's been so long Rachel" Brittany screamed while crushing Rachel in a hug

"Quinn you look as beautiful as ever" Rachel said

"Thanks. You look great too" Quinn replied with a blush coating her cheeks.

"Cough cough"

"Oh yeah this is my annoying friend Reed" Rachel smiled

"Ladies" Reed smirked

All three of the girls laughed as Rachel hit him on the side of the head causing him to go bright red with embarrassment.

"I think we have a lot of catching up to do" Santana said

"We do but let's leave that for another day, it's your birthday night after all"

Rachel and Reed squeezed into the little both with the three girls and enjoyed getting to know them. They chatted about anything and everything except for the big question that they wanted to know and that was how did Rachel end up doing this. Reed found more out about their relationship and got a detailed story of what it was like in their high school and how they all came together in the glee club. The night was coming to an end as more and more people were leaving the club until there were only the three former cheerleaders, Rachel and Reed.

"Wow look at the time, we have to go" Quinn said

"But we are having so much fun" Brittany pouted

"Q's right babe we have to be up early tomorrow"

"Well it was nice meeting you all, I need to pack my stuff away should have done it ages ago. Rachel I'll wait to so we can go home together" Reed then left giving the table a wave.

"Go home eyy Berry" Santana smirked

"It's not like that trust me" Rachel said while looking at Quinn.

The girls said there final goodbyes and Rachel walked them outside and waited until the taxi arrived. She could tell how much these three girls had grown up they were in a good place in high school but now they were so different, more mature. Rachel hugged them individually when the taxi pulled up and couldn't stop the shivers from running down her spine when she got to Quinn. It had never changed even when they first become friends Rachel tried to push the feelings aside and they had gone away over the years but seeing her tonight made them resurface immediately.

Quinn handed her a piece of paper before she got in the taxi, Rachel looked down and smiled at the number wrote down on it and smiled at the blonde. Things had definitely changed a lot; Quinn Fabray had just given her a piece of paper with her number on and the message "call me".


End file.
